Riegelsville Asks Der To Investigate Williams Subdivision

The president of Riegelsville Borough Council last night said that the Department of Environmental Resources is being asked to investigate a planned residential subdivision in Williams Township.

Hilton J. Siegfried gave the Williams Township Planning Commission a copy of a letter being sent to Leon Gonsher, regional environmental director of DER's Region One, headquartered in Norristown.

The letter, on behalf of Borough Council, expresses concern over the planned development of a 32-acre tract adjacent to the borough's reservoir.

Plans for the subdivision, Bougher Hill Estates, envision development of 19 residential lots, ranging in size from slightly more than an acre to just under four acres. It would be on Bougher Hill Road just north of the Williams Township border with Durham Township and about 1,000 feet from the reservoir.

The letter states, "Our fears are into the future as to the propensity of natural features surrounding our area becoming slowly saturated with wastes and where those wastes are likely to collect.

Riegelsville Borough Council asks for an investigation "in accordance with the Sewage Facilities Act."

Siegfried said that eight or nine lots on that land may be more realistic than the proposal forwarded by its owner, W. Stewart Connard of Takoma Park, Md.

The Planning Commission in November accepted Connard's preliminary plan but told Siegfried that the plan would not gain final approval unless Connard presents more detailed information and maps concerning drainage.

The commission's next meeting is Feb. 19, one day before a final decision is required on the subdivision plan.

The commission also approved a proposal by township resident Ernest Frankenfield to subdivide a two-acre lot he owns on Morgan Hill Road at Old Well Road into two one-acre lots. Both properties will be zoned residential.